House of Commons · Westminster Hall
21 July 2021 · 3 other contributors · 7,694 words
Opened by Kirsten Oswald SNP East Renfrewshire
Responding minister: Will Quince
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Kirsten Oswald raised concerns about social justice and fairness commission in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
I ask the Government to consider the recommendations from the Social Justice and Fairness Commission and to take action towards democratic renewal, citizen empowerment, values rooted in human rights and equality, and transformative policies that put people's wellbeing first.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
I am concerned about the UK Government's undermining of devolution and their regressive decisions, such as allowing up to 3 million people to fall through pandemic support cracks, removing the £20 uplift in universal credit in September, and failing to bring forward an employment Bill. The commission also highlights issues like discriminatory welfare policies, a hostile immigration environment, and the lack of basic human rights under UK policy.
Ms Nichols criticised the UK government's social security system and employment law, citing statistics from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimating that ending the universal credit uplift will bring an additional 700,000 people into poverty, including 300,000 children. She also highlighted delays in scrapping the terminally ill rule and called for an end to the benefits cap, extending free school meals over holiday periods, and replacing work capability assessments with a personalised process. The Minister was asked if he would give way but did not respond directly. However, she questioned the use of 'life choices' terminology when discussing policies such as the rape clause and argued that these policies are indefensible in a just social security system.
David Linden praised the SNP Government's cautious approach to covid-19 and highlighted opposition to Tory policies such as the universal credit uplift cut, benefit cap, rape clause, and five-week wait for universal credit. He also criticized immigration raids in Glasgow and urged full devolution of employment law with recommendations from the Social Justice and Fairness Commission including raising minimum wage to real living wage and banning zero-hours contracts.
Instructed Members to be mindful of the hot weather and reminded them about mask-wearing rules between speeches.
Government Response
Will QuinceResponded to the debate on social justice, acknowledging concerns about poverty levels in Scotland. Noted UK Government's commitment to tackling poverty through measures like £407 billion spent on support during the pandemic and a focus on recovery via job creation initiatives such as Kickstart. Discussed universal credit reforms and automatic enrolment for pensions. Defended the two-child policy while noting exemptions for non-consensual sex cases.